desperate measures

Sharing a sunny mid-morning snack with Kai on a fall day.

I was so relieved and happy to return to work today. Walking in the door to a cheerful Kai who was very excited to see me ("Ah-yee's home!") lifted my spirits immensely. I cannot begin to tell you how many times that child has managed to save me in so many ways over the past two years. He is such a comfort to my soul and cheers my heart immensely.

I started off my "holistay" last week with an optimistic and light attitude, however I found myself sinking in far too much idle time. As the days dripped by and each painfully slow day felt more like weeks, I began to feel lonely and was backpedaling in a lot of ways. This is not good! Nor is it good that my employers will again be leaving on Saturday for nearly two weeks as they have Hawaii vacation plans. So, I have been fretting over what on earth I will do with myself once they are gone. It just didn't seem possible that I could come up with any real way to be entertained and happy for that long considering my current state of heart and mind. And so, on a whim just a few minutes ago, I bought a ticket to New York City for next Wednesday. I can't recall whether I've ever done anything that spontaneous before and am feeling pretty anxious about the last minute decision. Although, the roundtrip flight only cost $220 (which is actually pretty amazing) and now I know that I have exactly half of the looming 12 days off filled up with something much, much more exciting and promising than sitting around Seattle. So I guess I actually should be heaving a sigh of relief.

So. New York, we will meet again soon!

clearing out

I've had a pile of clothes in my closet that I haven't worn in a while, so I decided it's time to move them along. Since it's far too cold for sidewalk sales, I thought I'd try to sell them here!

Most of it is vintage, some of it isn't - for example, the Maraius Chelsea Boot which are practically brand new. I think I wore them twice! So, if you're interested in an item, comment below with any questions. If you decide you'd like something, you can leave your email address and we can discuss it further from there.

comets

Here and here.

little dipper: contest!

Just so you know, I am offering the very first contest over at the Little Dipper blog. Pop on by and send your friends!

ginger snaps

I baked these crisp ginger cookies in order to use them as the crust for the pumpkin cheesecake I made for Thanksgiving dessert. They were quite tasty! Emily Luchetti never lets me down. 

I'm feeling pretty lonely today. Baking always seems to cheer me up when I'm down - but by the time I've finished, I never care to eat what I've made. Then I have tons of cakes and cookies laying around with nobody to eat them. Quite the predicament!

give thanks

10 Moments that remind me of what I'm thankful for:

1. Walking hand-in-hand with Gramma, 2. Silly moments (and ice cream!) with my sister, 3. Special and lasting friendships, 4. Lovely ladies - friends who inspire me, comfort me and fill my heart with gladness, 5. Traveling and sharing once-in-a-lifetime moments with a treasured and much loved one, 6. Kai - his snuggles, his laugh and the joy he brings me, 7. My parents - their love, support and their ability despite being parents, to make sure their children also know that they are human (makes it easier when I mess up), 8. This earth, it's beauty and mysteries, 9. A home, a place to call my own, 10. My childhood and my life up to this point - it's all been pretty wonderful.

Happy Thanksgiving.

rocks

These rings are nuts! I don't think I could pull off wearing them, but they certainly are beautiful to look at. I would actually hang a picture of the first one on my wall.

via the Frances May blog.

pink

This has turned into an unintentional theme around my home. Perhaps I am embracing the little girl in me while I still can? I am even considering painting my entryway pink, after seeing the room from this post on Design Sponge the other day.

the first snow

Ashley in the snow storm of 2008.

The snow is beautiful, but I cannot deny that it is making me feel a little sad this year. With our last big snow, I was surrounded by my family of friends which members of have either moved away, or the season of our friendship came to an end. I was also beginning to fall in love, and that love was a great love but has also gone. I miss my friends, I miss my love. I miss the warm weather, too - but mostly the warmth of those times.

My apartment is very, very cold. The windows seem to have a leak. I have a lot of windows and so, there are many cold drafts passing through constantly. I have to wear three layers of almost everything just to stay comfortable. It is 16 degrees outside, and if you know me, you know that I hate being cold. So you can imagine the slight grumpiness of my mood and the pinkness of my nose, sitting huddled up on my couch under blankets and multiple cups of hot cocoa and tea.

I really like the idea of winter; of bundling up against the cold, locking yourself indoors to bake and watch movies, read books and make things. I like that the snow slows everything down and quiets the city - but the cold! I hate the cold. Nevertheless, I am at least happy to be home and a have a place of my own. I am finally glad to be alone (well, sort of) and have found my solitude to be comforting rather than depressing or lonely. Now I look forward to days when I can spend my time reading, crafting, writing and snacking all by myself, in my lovely place. So I suppose I have the cold, cold snow to thank for putting me in just the right mood for all of these things.

happy monday

The Kai & Asher gang is out of town for Thanksgiving, so I am taking this week off to focus on me, me, me. I woke up this morning to find snow blanketing the streets of Seattle, but I will not let it stop me from getting out and ticking off all of the things on my list of things to accomplish.

It's funny how when, we think and dream about things with an open heart and mind, suddenly the universe or whatever it is starts sending things in our direction. When I introduced the idea of making prints available of my photos (thank you for all of your support and very kind words!), it was as though immediately, people around the world could pick up on these vibes and my flickr started going even more crazy. Not only that, though. I was invited by a curator to join a creative group online called Glossom (has anyone heard of this?). According to the curator, it is a place where artists and designers share their work and agencies, magazines and brands can peruse the site to find talent. I'm not sure how often the site is actually used by professionals for that purpose, but nevertheless, I feel honored to be included. To start, I transfered a bunch of photos from my flickr, which I will go back and be more selective about.

Earlier this morning, I finally bought the rights to www.marmunia.com. It's about time! I haven't set anything up yet, but soon it will be the main hub for all of my creative endeavors. I am so inspired lately and I am proud of myself for getting out of my slump and tapping into the creativity and drive that I know is in me somewhere.

I feel excited about the possible opportunities coming my way. I don't know what to expect, but it is fun to dream about where I could go with this. I truly give credit to you, and you, and you - and thank for your support and encouragement!

Now, I am off to Ikea with my mom! I have some things I would really like to take care of around my apartment. Paint the kitchen, install some shelving, deal with some organization issues, frame and hang the prints that are collecting in a brown bag in my closet, etc. So, today is dedicated to getting everything completely settled and in its place so that my home can be finished and a productive and creative space.

I would if I could

The House and Kenophobiac are constant sources of Craigslist teasing and torture. I could easily refurnish my entire apartment through them alone. This couch is only one of the many things I have on my 'keep dreaming/maybe someday' wish list.

missing macy

My Macy playing in the snow, January 2007.

I woke up a little blue today after having dreams about Macy last night. When I am feeling really sad, I tend to miss her the most. I want her to snuggle with and talk to, go on long walks with and keep me company.

I think about getting a new dog all the time. I know that someday I will, but I just can't right now. I am never home. There are days when I am gone from 8am until 9 or 10pm. I don't think it would be very nice to bring a dog into a home where they would be alone all day. But, simply to entertain my day dream, I spent some idle hours clicking around online. You can imagine how the tears welled up in my eyes when I stumbled upon her: Macy, a border collie mix (my Macy was a border collie chocolate lab mix). Oh! What a sweet face. How I wish I could save her!

i'm wondering

Do you think people would be interested if I were to sell prints of some of my photos online? I've found myself day dreaming about that recently, but I'm not sure what the response would be. I think that, in addition to my etsy shop, I would like to expand my artistic efforts. I have had this desire to tap into another creative outlet in a realm that is more about me and less about - well, babies. Let the record show that I do not by any means consider myself a photographer, but I receive compliments from time to time, and lately my flickr stats have been kind of going bonkers. 

Well, I will ponder this further and hope to hear your thoughts on the matter. They are greatly encouraged!

the one

I think I have found my protector from the winter chill - the Rachel Comey Snorkel Coat . If only I could afford to buy it now; Seattle might get some resemblance of snow this weekend!

photo via Lagarconne.

caitlin's giveaway

My friend Caitlin is parting with one of her beautiful handmade bracelets and a few other nice little items. She so kindly gave one of her bracelets to me as a gift and I absolutely love it. Stop by her lovely blog, Metrode to enter and stay around for a while. You'd also be doing yourself a favor by taking a peek at her Etsy shop.

portraits of the mind

These are quite beautiful.

via the Wired Science Blog.

heartache

Some days are harder than others. Overall though, I think I'm doing a pretty good job.

dear friday

(A very old little sketch with no relevance to this post whatsoever -- but that's ok!)

I had a really, very lovely day today. Beautiful weather and beautiful ladies.

Thank you, sunshine. Thank you, Caitlin. Thank you, Tess.

a letter to you

Dear friends & followers,

I have been fretting over my etsy shop as of late. I have been wracking my brain trying to come up with other ways to draw attention to it and create a good collection of people who actually have a need for baby clothes & other things. I recognize that the readers eyes I've caught on this blog aren't necessarily the baby bearing ones, so I've started another blog solely for Little Dipper. For those of you who have any desire to follow the Little Dipper blog, please do! And if you wouldn't mind helping me spread the word, that would be really lovely. I have been so excited about my shop and am hoping that it will help direct me to bigger and better things in my future (perhaps a non-baby shop). However, it's been pretty slow lately and I have been feeling a little discouraged about it. I have sent out a few emails to other big time bloggers that have seemingly gone unnoticed, or perhaps have gotten lost in the hundreds of other emails those ladies probably get daily. I was hoping that since I got so lucky with Joanna Goddard over at A Cup of Jo, that perhaps someone else might fancy my shop just as much and lend me a helping hand, too. As of yet, that hasn't quite panned out. So, I am hoping the blog will help a bit. If anybody has any self-promotion tips or ideas, please do pass them along! I need all of the advice I can get!

littledippervintage.blogspot.com

Now, a note about this little ol' blog of mine. Marmunia started when I left my Livejournal (visit only if you must - so many embarrassing & transitional years spent there!) and needed a place that was just for me, where I could collect in one place all of the things I enjoy. I never really expected or thought that anybody would pay attention, but I am glad that some people seem to. My following may be small, but I am happy for each of you nonetheless. I have always enjoyed blogging a lot. It is very fun for me, and there is also something therapeutic about sending my own little thoughts and wishes out into the word wide web. The only thing that I am beginning to miss from Livejournal days are the readers who so faithfully left their comments. Let it be said that I am not wagging a finger at you, dear readers. I myself am not good at commenting on the blogs that I read religiously, either. However, I am trying to be better about that recently. All I'm saying is, that it was really nice then to hear about the thoughts and feelings that my silly little postings inspired in other people. I imagine it would be just as nice, if not nicer now. So I suppose I am encouraging each of you that stop by here to introduce yourselves and maybe pipe up every once in a while!

Anyhow,  I hope to hear from each of you sooner or later. And again, please do follow me over at Little Dipper if you feel so inclined!

xoxo

Aly

in new york

1-8. My first full day in New York was spent at Storm King Art Center, where most memorably, I got my very first tick bite. That little bug burrowed itself into my thigh and nearly sent me into a panic when Lyme Disease was mentioned. Blech! It was removed and I survived.

9. Delicious Babycakes.

10-12. The Cloisters - a beautiful and peaceful escape from the city. Did you notice the kitty cat in the little wooded garden? This branch of the Met is so lovely and The Unicorn Tapestries are incredible! I couldn't resist purchasing a small print of The Unicorn in Captivity.

13. Waiting, waiting...

14. I want to sing, "How much is that doggy in the window?"

15-16. Babycakes, again.